The author’s beautiful prose breaks your heart.

—Kristen Renwick Monroe, author of The Hand of Compassion: Portraits of Moral Choice during the Holocaust.

Long before readers met Paddington Bear™, real children arrived in Britain with one suitcase and a tag around their necks.

On the eve of World War II, at age 14, armed with a small suitcase, a sign that hung about her neck, 17 shillings, and a dose of chutzpah, Renate boarded the children's train for England alone, leaving behind Nazi Germany, her mother and the only home she has ever known.Please Look After This Girl is the extraordinary true story of Renate, a German Jewish girl whose quick wit, courage, and fierce sense of justice help her survive the unimaginable. She endures anti-semitic torment at school, witnesses the terror of Kristallnacht, and comes face to face with the dreaded Gestapo. She is one of the lucky few to have a seat on the humanitarian Kindertransport, where she is whisked away from her mother to England to live in a strange land.Safety proves elusive as Renate struggles with a new language, strange customs, and the shadow of fear that follows her. Meanwhile, as the war intensifies her brother faces his own nightmare aboard the notorious ship Dunera—through a never before published diary readers bear witness to the systematic cruelty inflicted by British Territorial Army guards upon those they should have protected.Throughout the London Blitz and years of uncertainty, Renate must find the strength to rebuild her shattered world while carrying the weight and memory of those who didn't survive.

coming in December 2026

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This book is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, authorised, sponsored, or endorsed by Paddington and Company Limited.

About the Author

C. Awadalla

What started as a daughter’s promise to her mother became a deeply personal journey to preserve memory, truth, and legacy. Crystal Awadalla never set out to become an author—but honoring her mother’s request to write this book changed the course of her life.This memoir was originally intended as a record for the author’s grandchildren—a way for them to know their great-grandmother and her ability to find humor even in the darkest moments. Over time, it became clear that the story speaks beyond family.Today, Crystal lives in the United States, happily traveling to visit her children and grandchildren. When she’s not speaking about her book, she remains dedicated to keeping the history of the Kindertransport and the lessons of WWII alive for future generations.

Advance Praise for
Please Look After This Girl

Crystal Awadalla has written a powerful love story to her mother and for her mother — a true account of a Kindertransport child whose courage and resilience highlight one family's extraordinary experience from Nazi Germany to war-torn England!
—Cam Torrens, bestselling author of the Tyler Zahn mystery/suspense series.

… Renate’s testimony of her flight into exile presents a complex and detailed account of the actual Kindertransport journey itself. I warmly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand the experiences of Jewish refugee children and how their story is one story within a family history.
—Dr. Amy Williams, Kindertransport Scholar in Residence at the Association of Jewish Refugees, UK.

This remarkable book, about a tragic time, captures the speaker’s humanity and the shock she—and now the reader—feels, as her safe world falls apart …The author’s beautiful prose breaks your heart by reminding us not only of the Holocaust’s horrors but also that the Holocaust need not have happened. It is a deeply moving and loving tribute to the author’s mother and family members, whose suffering and resilience touched me profoundly.
—Kristen Renwick Monroe, author of The Hand of Compassion: Portraits of Moral Choice during the Holocaust.

I found Crystal Awadalla's work most compelling, and a powerful must-read for people's further education on the real-life experiences of the holocaust. This should be included in everyone's library.
—Jan Slimming, author of Codebreaker Girls: A Secret Life at Bletchley Park.

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